The Ellis family is looking forward to tomorrow's 4th of July celebration in Lakewood. We love our traditions - it all starts tonight when we talk about waking up early and doing the Lakewood fun run. Occasionally that happens, but more often we rack it out of bed, throw on clothes and race over to find a place to sit and watch the parade. For 12 years we have talked about having a float, and I'm sure the topic will come up again tomorrow. For the record, my daughter has been on a float once. So I have moved that off my bucket list. The thing we never miss are the fireworks - we always manage to get our act together by 9pm one way or another!

I hope you all have a great time doing whatever you do to celebrate our great country. Given all the political rancor that is nearly impossible to avoid, we need a day to lay aside our disagreements and recognize that all of us, regardless of political affiliation, are so blessed to live in freedom. May that always be the hallmark of the USA.

Happy 4th of July, friends!